The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Wiki Guide

The Thieves Guild

There are several reasons why you would want to join the Thieves Guild. The first is that the only way to sell stolen property is through fences who are revealed as you progress through the guild ranks. The second is that you will be able to pay off your fines and bounties. Just go to one of the Doyens (those who give you jobs) and they can remove any bounty you acrue for half of the cost. This makes it so that you pay off less fines and don't get your stolen property confiscated by guards. The final reason to join the Thieves Guild is for the abundance of lockpicks. We have only seen one character outside of the Thieves Guild that sells them. He is Shady Sam and can be found by walking along the outside wall of the Imperial City north of the stables. If you want to do some great stealing and improve your Security skill early in the game, this is the best way to do it.

There are some negative aspects to the Thieves Guild. You can't steal from or assault any fellow members of the guild. Likewise, beggars and peasants are off limits. You also can't kill anybody while on the job. These are grounds for instant expulsion. If you do break one of the rules, you'll have to pay a fine for reinstatement to the guild which can be as high as 1,000 gold coins for a murder. The rewards far outweigh the downside. We recommend joining this guild to anyone who has Sneak or Security as major skills.

There are two ways we know of to locate the Thieves Guild. The first is the easiest. Begin by reading one of the wanted posters that are littered everywhere around the Imperial City. Next, find a beggar and raise their disposition until they really like you. Talk to them about Gray Fox and they'll tell ask you if you want to join the Thieves Guild. Tell them you do and they'll tell you to go to the Garden of Dareloth in the Waterfront District and mark the point on the map for you. Show up at midnight and you'll find a gathering of nefarious fellows behind a house in a stoned in garden of sorts. Talk to Armand Christophe about joining once he arrives.

Another way to find the Thieves Guild is to spend time in prison. Commit a crime and do the time. When you emerge, someone will approach you and give you a note about meeting up in the Garden of Dareloth. Follow the same instructions as listed above. Since this requires you to go through a prison sentence, we suggest the alternate method of locating the guild.